Higher Octave (Heavy Influence #2.5)

Higher Octave

A Heavy Influence
Novella

2.5

By Ann Marie
Frohoff

Copyright © 2015 by Ann Marie Frohoff

All rights reserved. In accordance with the
U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading and electronic
sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the
publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual
property. If you would like to use the material from the book
(other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be
obtained by contacting the publisher. Thank you for your support of
the author’s rights.

AMF Publishing

Ann Marie Frohoff

[email protected]

First Digital Edition: February 2015

This book is a work of fiction. Names,
characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s
imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual
events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Frohoff, Ann Marie, 1971—

Higher Octave : a novella /
by Ann Marie Frohoff.—
1
^st
edition

Summary:
Jake Masters has fallen from musical grace. His inner demons
didn’t care about the awards, the multi-platinum records, the
legions of fans around the world, nor his undying love for Alyssa.
When Jake comes through fray, blurry about his future, he meets an
unlikely inspiration, reigniting his passion and reason for
living.

ISBN: 099165725X ISBN: 978-0-9916572-5-4

“If you are not too long, I
will wait here for you all my life. ~

Oscar Wilde

1

A golden pink haze hovered over the Malibu
hills as the sun began its decent from the sky, as if it were about
to take a dip in the ocean. A light, foggy, ocean mist began to
roll towards the compound I’d been staying at for the last three
months – the Promises rehab facility. It was the beginning of
April, and the spring season fluttered and bloomed around me as I
sat waiting for Bobby to visit. Bobby was my bassist and childhood
friend. Other than calls and texts, it’d been over a year since I’d
seen him last.

It was the third spring season to come since
my complete fall from grace. The music had gone completely
silent.

I was a free man. Free from
answering to a manger, a label, a band or a girlfriend. My entire
life was a sad
E! True Hollywood
Story
, or something from
Behind the Music
–
literally. I’d watched those episodes more times than I could
count. I even recorded them so I could watch whenever I wanted, and
it was a lot.
I’m a free man,
I thought, but I wasn’t really free. I still
thought about and what I’d done and Alyssa every
day
. All
the
things I’d done and continued to do while I was in and out of the
four other rehab facilities around the country.

Alyssa, my childhood
friend, love of my life and the girl next door, was in her last
year at
Pepperdine
University
. The pull of her was real and
more intense as the days went by at Promises. I’d stayed away from
Promises on purpose, knowing it was too close in proximity to her,
to keep me from wanting to see her. Now there I was and there she
was, just over the hill, and I felt the grip on my heart. I could
have left Promises whenever I wanted, but I didn’t have anywhere
else to be. I wasn’t sure about where I was headed or if I even
wanted to make music. Though my notebooks were filled with lyrics
and my head was filled with melodies, I’d yet to touch a guitar to
string anything together. I wondered if Aly thought about me at all
anymore. I had to come to terms that she’d ended up with Nathan,
the guy that’d always been there to hold her up when we’d broken
down –
fuckin’ Nathan.
I had to give it to the guy; he never gave up. He loved her
and treated her better than I ever did. She’d spat in my face when
she found out that Sienna and I had been sleeping together – Yep,
I’d done the unthinkable. I’d slept with my dead best friend’s
wife.

The thought of Sienna sent a wave of nausea
through me.

I’m sorry, Dump.

Sienna and I had used each other in so many
ways after Dump’s death and my breakup with Aly. We’d both went to
the first two-rehab facilities together, in and out, fucking around
until it wasn’t fun anymore. Sienna began losing major modeling
gigs, and the band got dropped from our label. The media went to
town with speculation about our supposed sordid relationship. Even
though Aly and I weren’t involved romantically, we maintained close
contact, and the news sent her bursting through the doors of a
Phoenix rehab facility. Sienna and I never admitted to anything.
We’d kept our intimate moments to ourselves and let the media run
amok, but when Aly confronted me, I told her the truth. That was
the real end of our relationship, and the last time I’d talked to
Aly.

A flutter to the right of my ear startled
me, and I swatted the air, noticing two hummingbirds at the red
bird feeder right above my head. I marveled at their hovering tiny
bodies and nearly invisible wings.

“Thank you,” I heard Bobby say, and I turned
to see Lydia, one of the many staff counselors, pointing in my
direction. A smile sprung to my face. Bobby looked great. I stood,
and was surprised that my knees were a bit weak from
excitement.

“Hey man!” I met him halfway, in the middle
of the grey flagstone patio. We were the only ones outside. “Thank
you, Lydia.” I waved to her, and she vanished inside with a smile.
“Welcome to my humble abode.” I bowed.

Bobby grinned, looking around. “Can I smoke
out here?”

“Yep.”

“Do you mind?”

“Nope.” I shook my head and I led him back
to the table I’d sat at. “I’ll just sit on this side so the breeze
will carry that shit in the other direction.” I’d always hated
smoke, and blamed cigarettes for killing Dump. “I’m gonna keep
sayin’ it. Stop smokin’. I don’t want to have to bury you for some
cancer bullshit.”

Bobby frowned and lit up anyway. “My dad
smokes, my granddad smokes, and my great granddad smoked until he
was eighty-nine. I’m goin’ with good odds.”

“Fair enough.”

“Why
are
you still here?” He looked at me,
perplexed, as he bit his cig between his teeth and lit
it.

That’s the million-dollar question. “Don’t
really have anywhere to be.”

Bobby sucked on his cig, inhaling deeply,
and blew out a stream of smoke. He nodded and smiled at me like he
had a story to tell. He leaned towards me with his elbows on the
table. “I came here to tell you I’m getting married.”

A shock tingled at my fingertips. Wow.
“Damn. Congratulations.” I sat back into my wooden chair. “Holy
shit, man. So you and Marshall?”

“Yeah.” His eyes beamed with confirmation.
“He popped the question two days ago. He’s been a great fuckin’
partner, Jake. I love him. He wants kids, and I kinda do, too, ya
know.”

I was truly happy for them. “I’m stoked for
you. Seriously.”

“You’re the first person I’ve told.”

Thinking about Marshall made me think about
Aly. I was sure she knew they were getting married.

“When’s the wedding?”

“June fourteenth.” That was
just around the corner, and as if Bobby read my mind he explained,
“I know it’s fast, but I’m leaving on tour and Marsh is going to
Paris for an interview at
some
high profile fashion house.” He waved his hand
with raised eyebrows. “I should pay more attention.”

“You guys going traditional? Like a real
wedding?”

He nodded with a corny grin. “Marshall wants
a wedding. I’m gonna let him do whatever he wants.”

Having Bobby sitting right in front of me
had me all jacked up with happiness. I hadn’t felt uplifted in a
long time. I almost forgot what it felt like. “Man, it’s good to
see you.” I leaned in slapping my palms on the Beachwood table.
Guilt crept up my spine, and I leaned back, shaking my head. “I’m
sorry I haven’t been communicating and you felt you had to drive
over here.”

He blinked twice, looking a bit serious. “I
wanted to. I miss you, man. How are you?”

“I’m actually really good. Been writing a
shit-ton, but not sure what I wanna do with it all.”

Bobby sighed and snuffed out his cigarette
in a little silver cup. His eyes searched mine, an indication he
had more to say. “What? What else you got?”

“If Marshall really goes for a traditional
wedding, I want you to be my best man.”

“Sure. I’m down, man.” I
said enthusiastically. “
And
I’m gonna be the best godfather your kid will ever
have. That is, if you’ll allow me the honor.”

Bobby chuckled. “Of course.” He nodded,
taking me in for a beat. “And you know if it’s traditional, Aly
will probably be Marshall’s best chick.”

This time, my hands and arms went numb and
heat flashed over me. “Okay. Is what it is.” I shrugged, sucking in
a deep breath. I gestured with a serpentine wave of my arm. “Life
rolls on.”

Bobby’s smile was tight. “And there’s
more.”

My heart was already pounding like a
jackhammer, and now it felt like it would pop out from my ear.
“What?”

“Nathan asked Aly to marry him, and he may
be at the wedding, too.”

I could barely spit any words out, and felt
like I was choking. I sprung up and walked to the mini-fridge next
to the barbeque. Anger, jealousy and loss ignited in my stomach.
Taking a can of Coke in my fist, I wanted to throw it through the
window and watch the glass shatter like my heart. Instead, I sighed
deeply, controlling my emotions, and took a big gulp as if it were
a shot of whisky.

“Sorry man. I didn’t know how else to say
it.” Bobby’s shoulders inched upward, gesturing apologetically.

I belched unexpectedly and patted my chest.
“Damn. I never drink this shit,” I said, staring at the can and
then back at Bobby. “You know she’s right over the hill?” I pointed
with the can in my hand. “That’s why I haven’t left here.”

“I’m sorry.” He said looking as pained as I
felt. Fuckin’ Nathan. I didn’t want to ask if she’d said yes. I
assumed she had; otherwise, Bobby wouldn’t have said anything. My
memory flashed with Aly’s hurt, tearful, and angry face as I’d
confirmed my despicable relationship with Sienna. She threw the
ring I’d given her at my face.

I sniffed, took another drink, and cracked
my neck. “Thanks for telling me.” I held my can of Coke out to him.
“Cheers to everyone’s happy endings. I guess it’s really time for
me to move on.”

But for some reason I couldn’t, and I didn’t
understand why. I stayed at Promises for another two weeks, talking
to Lydia about it. She told me to keep journaling and to play music
again.

No shit.

***

I hadn’t felt as
clear-headed as I felt at that moment in years, looking out at the
massive red Golden Gate Bridge. It was a warm summer day and the
bay breeze cooled my sun-heated skin. I was being a full on
tourist, standing there taking a picture of it with my camera
phone. Then I decided to take a selfie.
What the fuck, why not?
I thought and
I held the camera out at arms’ length and smiled with the bridge
behind me.
My first selfie, all by myself.
A new beginning. A new life
, I thought. I’d
not posted anything on social media in over three years, and
decided this was as good of a time as any. I was working on a new
solo record, and decided right then it was time to announce
it.

“Marty,” I called and strolled toward him,
as I downloaded all the deleted social media apps back on my phone.
“I’m going to announce my solo endeavor.”

His eyes batted with surprise, and he pushed
his glasses up on his nose. “Wow. Okay. Are you sure you’re
ready?”

“Yep. This day. This time. I finally feel a
real sense of freedom and…” I breathed in happily. “Hope. I’m
feelin’ hopeful.” I nodded and refocused on my task at hand.